The transmission and receipt of service messages sent to a telecommunication device such as a mobile telephone, a cordless telephone consisting of a base station and at least one mobile handset, a fixed network telephone, a fax machine, a personal computer etc., and vice versa from the telecommunication device, is a communication service distinguished by the information content transmitted with the messages, such as text, multimedia content such as audio and video data (call tones, screen savers), graphics, programs etc., and which, having first made its appearance on the mobile radio scene and finding widespread acceptance, is now gradually becoming established in the fixed network area. The plurality of services being offered in mobile radio communication networks—such as the short message (messaging) service (SMS), the enhanced message (messaging) service (EMS), the multimedia message (messaging) service (MMS), together with instant messaging, over the air activation (OTA), e-mail etc.—suggest that present developments both in the fixed networks and in the mobile radio field are heading toward a situation in which the SMS and MMS communication services in particular will play a greater role. In the case of SMS, standards already exist in both the mobile radio field and the fixed network field (for GSM: ETSI TS 100 942 V7.0.0, Release 1998; for ISDN/PSTN: ETSI ES 201 912V1.1.1, Release 01/2002) but the same is only true for MMS in the mobile radio field (cf.: 3GPP TS 22.140 V4.y.z; stage 1 and 2; Release 4), whereas in the fixed network field standardization activity is still taking place (cf.: ETSI DES/AT-030023V0. 1.0, 11/2003).
In fixed and mobile networks, SMS is a point-to-point service distinguished by an entirely push functionality—that is, the content of the short message (SM), which has a maximum length of 160 bytes, is sent by the short message service center (SMSC) to the telecommunication device and as a rule consists of text data, with the connection establishment procedure being initiated by the service center. Whereas SMS in the mobile radio field uses wireless transmission methods between the telecommunication device and the short message service center, the short message being transmitted without a traffic channel connection being established over a signaling channel, in fixed networks SMS is connection-oriented, a traffic channel connection being established between the telecommunication device and the short message service center, the short message then being transmitted over this connection by using frequency shift keying or dual tone multiple frequency and invoking the calling line identification (CLI) service feature known as calling line identification presentation (CLIP).
Whereas in mobile radio communication networks MMS is handled in the same way as SMS by wireless transmission over a WAP transport path (using the wireless application protocol), in fixed networks a different mechanism comes into effect. On transmitting a multimedia message (MM), which in principle is unlimited in size but is currently restricted to around 100 Kbytes, and can contain for example text, multimedia content such as audio and video data (call tones, screen savers), graphics, programs etc., and short data which may be text, audio and/or video, the telecommunication device is first sent a connection-oriented information message, known as the MMS notification, which informs the telecommunication device that there is a multimedia message at the multimedia message service center (MMSC). This notification is sent over a push service such as SMS. Unlike the receipt of a short message, however, in order to receive the content of a multimedia message it is necessary to initiate a further connection from the telecommunication device to the multimedia message service center.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the transmission of multimedia messages MM in the fixed network from a sender (transmitting device) to an addressee (receiving device), in which the devices are both normally registered with one and the same multimedia message service center MMSC in accordance with the prior art.
In FIG. 1, the transmission of multimedia messages in the fixed network from a sender (transmitting device) to an addressee (receiving device) occur when both devices are registered with the same multimedia message service center,
In FIG. 2, the transmission of multimedia messages in the fixed network from a sender (transmitting device) to an addressee (receiving device) occur when the two devices are registered with different multimedia message service centers.
FIG. 1 shows the transmission of a multimedia message MMN in a fixed network FN from a transmitting telecommunication device STKG to a receiving telecommunication device ETKG, in which both devices are registered with one and the same multimedia message service center MMNDZ which is assigned to the fixed network FN. In this context the term “assigned” means that the multimedia message service center MMNDZ is either part of the fixed network FN or is arranged outside of the fixed network FN. The transmitting telecommunication device STKG or the receiving telecommunication device ETKG is registered with the multimedia message service center MMNDZ by programming a receiving and transmitting number of the service center into the respective device. This is done either by a factory pre-configuration in the respective telecommunication device, or as a manual input by the user of the device, or by a special configuration message transmitted once-only, e.g. via the short message service, by the multimedia message service center MMNDZ to the transmitting telecommunication device STKG or receiving telecommunication device ETKG during the initial installation of the MMS service, and used to play back dynamically the data needed for installing said MMS service.
Transmission of the multimedia message MMN starts with the transmitting telecommunication device STKG transmitting the multimedia message MMN for the receiving telecommunication device ETKG over the fixed network FN to the multimedia message service center MMNDZ. In order to inform the receiving telecommunication device ETKG that the multimedia message MMN intended for the receiving telecommunication device ETKG has arrived in the multimedia message service center MMNDZ, the multimedia message service center MMNDZ sends an information message MN to a short message service center KNDZ which is assigned to the fixed network FN as the bearer of the information for the receiving telecommunication device ETKG and for the multimedia message service center MMNDZ. The short message service center KNDZ inserts the received information message MN into a short message KN and sends the short message KN together with the linked information message MN in a known way via the fixed network FN to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG. In this case, however, the receiving telecommunication device ETKG must be registered with the short message service center KNDZ. Registration with the short message service center KNDZ takes place in the same way as registration with the multimedia message service center MMNDZ.
Upon receiving the information message MN, the receiving telecommunication device ETKG establishes, via the fixed network FN, a temporary telecommunication link or a temporary Internet connection according to the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) to the multimedia message service center MMNDZ with which it is registered as mentioned above, in order to retrieve the multimedia message MMN which is stored there.
The fact that the receiving telecommunication device ETKG, as mentioned above, is normally registered with only one multimedia message service center and one short message service center means that the connection for retrieving the multimedia message MMN can only be established with the multimedia message service center stored in the telecommunication device in each case.
However, the multimedia message itself need not necessarily always be stored on a data server (storage location) of the multimedia message service center with which the telecommunication device retrieving the multimedia message is registered, but may be located anywhere else on any data server, such as a data server of another multimedia message service center. This is always the case whenever the transmitting telecommunication device STKG sending the multimedia message MMN is registered with another multimedia message service center. This case is illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 shows, similar to FIG. 1, the transmission of a multimedia message MMN in the fixed network FN from a transmitting telecommunication device STKG to a receiving telecommunication device ETKG, but in this case, unlike in FIG. 1, the two devices are registered with different multimedia message service centers MMNDZ, MMNDZ′ both of which are assigned to the fixed network FN. Whereas the transmitting telecommunication device STKG is registered with the multimedia message service center MMNDZ, as in FIG. 1, the receiving telecommunication device ETKG is registered with a further multimedia message service center MMNDZ′.
In this context the term “assigned” means that the multimedia message service center MMNDZ, MMNDZ′ is either part of the fixed network FN or is arranged outside of the fixed network FN. The transmitting telecommunication device STKG or the receiving telecommunication device ETKG is registered with the multimedia message service center MMNDZ or the further multimedia message service center MMNDZ′ by programming a receiving and transmitting number of the service center into the respective device. This is done either by a factory pre-configuration in the respective telecommunication device, or as a manual input by the user of the device, or by a special configuration message transmitted once-only, e.g. via the short message service, by the multimedia message service center MMNDZ to the transmitting telecommunication device STKG, or by the further multimedia message service center MMNDZ′ to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG, during the initial installation of the MMS service, and used to play back dynamically the data needed for installing said MMS service.
As before, transmission of the multimedia message MMN starts with the transmitting telecommunication device STKG transmitting the multimedia message MMN for the receiving telecommunication device ETKG over the fixed network FN to the multimedia message service center MMNDZ. However, the multimedia message service center MMNDZ detects that the addressed receiving telecommunication device ETKG is not registered with the said multimedia message service center, but with the further multimedia message service center MMNDZ′. It then sends an item of information INF with the associated multimedia message MMN to the further multimedia message service center MMNDZ′. Upon receiving this information and message, and in order to inform the receiving telecommunication device ETKG that the multimedia message service center MMNDZ′ has received from the multimedia message service center MMNDZ the multimedia message MMN intended for the receiving telecommunication device ETKG, the said further multimedia message service center MMNDZ′ then sends an information message MN to a short message service center KNDZ which is assigned to the fixed network FN as the bearer of the information for the receiving telecommunication device ETKG and for the two multimedia message service centers MMNDZ/MMNDZ′. Also as before, the short message service center KNDZ inserts the received information message MN into a short message KN and sends the short message KN together with the linked information message MN in a known way via the fixed network FN to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG which in this case too is registered with the short message service center KNDZ. Registration with the short message service center KNDZ takes place in the same way as registration with the further multimedia message service center MMNDZ′.
Upon receiving the information message MN, the receiving telecommunication device ETKG establishes, via the fixed network FN, a temporary telecommunication link or a temporary Internet connection according to the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) to the further multimedia message service center MMNDZ′ with which it is registered as mentioned above, in order to fetch the multimedia message MMN from where it has arrived and is stored pending retrieval.
The embodiments in FIG. 2 show that the two multimedia message service centers possess suitable mechanisms for transmitting the multimedia message from one service center to the other service center. Since as often as not the fixed network operators of such service centers are in a competitive situation or may even be located in different countries, there is frequently no corresponding bilateral agreement between the operators, so that it may not be possible to transmit the multimedia message in such a case.
In the mobile radio field this problem is dealt with by agreements between the individual operators of multimedia service centers.
In the short message service area, the competitive situation mentioned above is prevalent in the fixed network field in countries such as Germany. As a solution to the described problem, the numbers of a plurality of short message service centers are set up in the telecommunication devices, so that they can also receive short messages from non-registered short message service centers. Generally, however, receiving a short message does not present a problem, since the connection establishment procedure is always initiated by the delivering short message service center.
The embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 2 reveal a further problem in connection with the transmission of multimedia messages—implementation of the multimedia message service.
As already explained above, in the MMS service for transmitting the multimedia message from a sender to an addressee, in the first instance the addressee is sent an information message known as an MMS notification, which informs the addressee that there is a multimedia message at the multimedia message service center (MMSC). This notification is preferably sent over a push service such as SMS. Unlike the receipt of a short message in the SMS service, however, the content of the multimedia message still needs to be retrieved.
For this purpose, the addressee device establishes a connection to the multimedia message service center and retrieves the content of the multimedia message via this connection. If “immediate retrieval” is set up in the device, the connection establishment procedure takes place immediately after the connection established for transmitting the SMS message or the information message (NMS notification) has been terminated.
If retrieval of the multimedia message is intended to be free of charge, the multimedia message service center must provide suitable call numbers which allow the communication device to make a free call. This involves the multimedia message service center in additional costs for providing the access numbers concerned.
This problem, so far discussed against the background of the prior art (e.g. FIG. 1), is shown in FIG. 3. This shows the following:
FIG. 3: A sequence chart based on FIG. 1, showing the sequence of measures connected with the transmission of a multimedia message from a sender (transmitting device) to an addressee (receiving device) in the fixed network.
FIG. 3, based on FIG. 1, shows the sequence of measures M1.1 to M9.1 connected with the transmission of the multimedia message MMN from the transmitting telecommunication device STKG to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG in the fixed network FN. First the multimedia message MMN is transmitted by the transmitting telecommunication device STKG according to a first measure M1.1 to the multimedia message service center MMNDZ, where it is preferably buffered or stored until the time when the multimedia message is retrieved by the recipient (in this case, the receiving telecommunication device ETKG). According to a second measure M2.1 the multimedia message service center MMNDZ causes (initiates) transmission of the information message MN, known as the MMS notification, to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG, whereupon a push proxy gateway (PPG) (not shown) of the multimedia message service center MMNDZ transmits the information message MN to the short message service center KNDZ, also known as the short message service center SMSC.
In order to enable transmission of the information message MN to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG as instructed by the multimedia message service center MMNDZ, the short message service center KNDZ establishes according to a third measure M3.1 a circuit switched (and therefore chargeable) first traffic channel connection NKV1 to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG. According to a fourth measure M4.1, the information message MN “packaged” in the short message KN (using the SMS service) is then sent by means of the FSK or DTMF signaling originally mentioned, and typically at a transmission rate of 1200 baud, via this established connection (in-band signaling) to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG. If the information message MN is transmitted, then according to a fifth measure M5.1 the first traffic channel connection NKV1 is cleared. According to FIG. 3 this connection can be cleared down by both the receiving telecommunication device ETKG and the short message service center KNDZ.
According to a sixth measure M6.1, when the first traffic channel connection NKV1 has been cleared down the receiving telecommunication device ETKG establishes a second circuit switched (and therefore chargeable) traffic channel connection NKV2 to the multimedia message service center MMNDZ. According to a seventh measure M7.1, the receiving telecommunication device ETKG uses this second traffic channel connection NKV2 to request the content of the multimedia message MMN from the multimedia message service center MMNDZ. According to an eighth measure M8.1, the multimedia message service center MMNDZ then transmits the requested content to the receiving telecommunication device ETKG, possibly by means of a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) session. When the content of the multimedia message MMN has been transmitted, then according to a ninth measure M9.1 the second traffic channel connection NKV2 is also cleared down. According to FIG. 3 this connection can be cleared down by both the receiving telecommunication device ETKG and the multimedia message service center MMNDZ.